Thug Life

Thug Life (2025) - 40%

One Of The Worst Films Of 2025... I Still Don't Want To Believe That Legends Mani Ratnam & Kamal Haasan Who Have Given Us The Masterpiece Nayakan Collaborated For Such A Film... What Had Happened To Them While Writing & Filming This One... Didn't They Felt What They Are Making? Also What An Actress Like Trisha Was Doing In The Film Is Beyond My Understanding... She Had Been Completely Wasted & Same Goes For Ali Fazal... A. R. Rahman's Music Is Good, But The Background Score Many A Times Doesn't Match The Visuals On Screen... The Character Of Silambarasan & Haasan Aren't Even Developed Properly & As A Result, You Do Not Connect With Them At Any Juncture In The Film... The Few Plus Points Apart From Music Are Cinematography & Action Blocks... Overall, This One's A Huge Disappointment... Avoid At All Cost.

Yep, this is the weakest storytelling I've ever seen in a Mani Ratnam film. Even Kadal and Kaatru Veliyidai come across as better (storytelling) efforts in comparison. What the heck happened to Kamal Haasan? Just because Vikram worked, he's decidedly gone the "action hero" route, playing roles with zero emotional depth or connect. Rangaraya Sakthivel is a cardboard cutout, and so is the entire bunch of characters that revolve around him. The actors (Simbu and Joju George, especially) try their best to rise above the wafer-thin script, offering mild hopes in the first half. But you're in for the most generic revenge-action-drama in the second.

The action blocks (choreographed by Anbariv) are not individually terrible -- in fact, there are a couple of standout attempts, such as a train station fight and a car chase that concludes at the Red Fort, which are quite exciting. ARR's score was really oscillating both ways -- solid as well as subpar (the whole snow sequence had me cringing like hell). Some of the songs are good too, like Jinguchaa, adding a little zing to the overall dull proceedings. Anju Vanna Poove is such a nice track, but the way the film incorporates bits and pieces of it in a scattered way didn't win me over.

Thug Life starts solidly, with a well-done flashback sequence presented in monochrome. The de-aging work is appreciable too; I'm almost sensing a pattern here. In films that get the de-aging process right, the rest of the VFX (like an avalanche sequence) is often so shoddy. The characterizations of Indrani (Trisha), Amar (Simbu), and Dr. Anna (Aishwarya Lekshmi) only look fascinating on the surface. Deep down, they're all one-note with a specific purpose to fulfill.

DoP Ravi K Chandran offers some spectacular frames, though sadly, the film's screenplay doesn't do justice. I'm really appalled by (National Award Winner) Sreekar Prasad's edit work in the film; there's hardly any connective tissue between scenes. Everything is simply stacked together, with no sense of emotional understanding. The larger blame definitely goes to the script (co-written by Ratnam and Haasan), but still. What was even that embarrassment of a climax? Gosh.

Thug Life isn't a good film, unfortunately. The basic idea and characters had real potential, but it feels like they never got developed into a solid story. Instead, a bunch of random, outdated elements were shoved in, making it feel more confused than compelling.

The screenplay is dull and lifeless-not a single scene leaves an impact, and none of the character arcs feel complete or satisfying. A few songs are genuinely good... but guess what? They got edited out. The background score works in a couple of places but mostly stays below average.

Casting? A total mismatch. It honestly feels like tier-two actors would've done a better job. Even Kamal Haasan and Trisha don't really shine here. The only one who makes an impression is Aishwarya Lekshmi-and she's barely in the film. Shimbu and Trisha at least look good; their makeup department deserves a pat on the back.

The cinematography and sets are a treat, though-they clearly got the best part of the budget. But when it comes to direction, it really doesn't feel like Maniratnam was behind the camera. Maybe an assistant was calling the shots this time? The "Sugar Baby" song also feels oddly put together, and the title line seems like it was slapped on during post-production.

Overall? Not worth your time. Maybe skip it and rewatch one of Maniratnam's classics instead.

Thug Life fails to live up to its hype, offering a predictable and disjointed narrative that lacks both emotional depth and originality. Despite Kamal Haasan's presence, the film suffers from weak writing, uninspired performances, and dialogues that feel forced rather than impactful. The pacing is uneven, dragging in places where it should thrill, and the action sequences, instead of adding excitement, come off as exaggerated and unconvincing. Visually underwhelming and poorly edited, the film lacks the grit and intensity one expects from a crime drama. Ultimately, Thug Life is a missed opportunity that leaves no lasting impression-neither entertaining nor meaningful.

I didn't expect this from the goated combo at all. Why just why did they have to disappoint us to this extent. Ts so bad that I who had never shared a review had to vent it out right now coz it made me doubt my life's purpose and question my existence while watching this. Seriously... Never putting my trust and never getting my hopes up for any other movies anymore.

Bruh just retire ffs. Have you guys not hoarded enough? Just give way for new gen talents. That would be the biggest help Kamal and Mani saar could do to the betterment of tamil cinema. Consider it rude or whatever but I don't care. I'm too fed up. This is absolutely garbage.